Weddingbee Blog

As the evening wound down, and the music from our “first and last dance” began to fade away, I remember looking around at the faces of the people who were still there and thinking that it was an absolutely perfect moment in time. Some people were still dancing in the gazebo, some were taking one last turn in the photobooth, and others were wrapped up in conversation with people they hadn’t seen in years. I knew that it was time for our “farewell,” but I still found myself asking our wedding coordinator if we could just hang out for another hour. She laughed, and pointed out that the candles had all melted down. The vendors were coming to clean up soon and most of the guests had already left. I looked around and although I understood her valid points, I just didn’t want the night to end. (Isn’t that how every bride should feel at her wedding?)

The remaining guests gathered along the driveway holding the getaway flags. (Which may look like a super cute DIY project, but I have to be honest with you: they were a serendipitous find at T.J. Maxx!)

Everyone cheered as my new husband and I ran through the human tunnel and drove away in my cream colored MINI Cooper. I remember watching our closest family and friends wave and smile out the window until I couldn’t see them anymore.

A lot of you have commented about the amazingly beautiful weather we experienced on our wedding day. Well believe it or not, less than thirty minutes after we drove away, the rain began pouring down from the sky. Thunder and lightning and everything! What a perfect ending to a perfect day. I also have to add that the next morning, it was bright and sunshiney again! Mr. Turtle and I went back to his grandparents’ house (where we’d gotten married), and our family watched us open our presents. Then we ordered pizza and had a glorious feast of pizza and leftover wedding cake in the backyard…sitting on the Chivari chairs that the rental company still hadn’t picked up! How fancy…

Anyway, does it make sense if I say that the feelings of hesitancy, of bittersweetness, that I experienced at the end of our wedding are the same way I’m feeling now as I write this farewell Weddingbee post? I whipped out my recaps pretty fast, as far as recaps go, but every time I sat down to write this post, I ended up procrastinating. Planning this wedding was such a personal journey for me. As cheesy as it sounds, the process of planning a wedding made me a better person. Working on the wedding together also brought me closer to my family, friends, and husband. These 23 months of my life were a rollercoaster. I laughed harder than I’d ever laughed and cried harder than I’d ever cried.

Blogging on Weddingbee during this stage of my life was certainly a time-consuming commitment to take on, but I can honestly say that it served to further enrich the whole experience. I may never meet any of you in person, but this online community is made up of some of the kindest, most genuine women I have ever encountered! I carefully read each and every one of your comments on my posts. Your encouragement and advice definitely helped shape our wedding.

I’m hesitant to leave Weddingbee behind, but I guess it would be weird if I stuck around forever. That’s the funny part about life. Just when you get comfortable somewhere, you find yourself moving on to newer, sometimes better, and always more challenging things. Mr. Turtle’s and my life together has definitely not slowed down or become boring since the wedding. We’ve moved from California to Maryland, and are now living together for the first time. He’s started graduate school, and I’ve started my first post-college job. If you’re interested, I invite you to come visit me on my personal blog: Bricolage! I can’t promise that you won’t see me around Weddingbee every once in a while though. I plan to pop in here and there!

Thanks for reading along while I planned my wedding! I hope you enjoyed the ride. I’ll never ever forget you, and I wish you the best not only for your wedding, but for the rest of your lives!

Love always,

Mrs. Turtle